Control
by X-MENobsession
Summary: There is a presence in Bayville... haunting Jean and tormenting The Professor. Will the X-Men be able to stop it, or will Jean finally lose control? JOTT Basically an Evo Phoenix story.
1. Chapter 1

Control

By: XMENobession

**AN:** I wanted to do another X-Men: Evolution story, since I don't know if I have it in me to finish the other. It's just not Evo enough. It's about Jean, a character I haven't really worked with before, but always found interesting. I hope you like it. _READ & REVIEW!!!_

**DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing! Not the people, not the places, and definitely not the paper!

**Chapter 1**

"Jean, you have to stop this!"

Jean Grey sat up in bed and rubbed her head, trying to ebb away the nightmares. She pulled her knees up to her chest and shivered. Her dreams were becoming more vivid and terrifying. Something was trying to hurt her and the X-Men, but no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't stop it. The alarm clock read 6:15 and she decided to get up, though it was ahead of her normal schedule.

After getting dressed she went downstairs for breakfast, which hadn't been put out yet, so she helped to set the table. Then she sat and waited for the others to join her. There was food on her plate, but she didn't have much of an appetite. Ororo was humming in the kitchen as she brewed some coffee. The aroma entered the dining room and for the first time that day Jean smiled. She had never really liked coffee, even with an unhealthy amount of cream and sugar she found it too bitter, but she did enjoy its smell. It was a warm smell that wrapped itself around you and grounded you to the earth.

The other students finally descended the stairs, noisily as usual, breaking the morning's serenity that Ororo treasured. The weather witch let out a small sigh and entered the room with a hot pitcher in one hand and a smile on her face.

The students greeted Jean cheerily and took their seats. Though the places were not "assigned" there was an unspoken seating arrangement that no one dared break. Scott always sat next to Jean, on her left. One time Bobby sat there. No one knows what happened after breakfast that day, but Bobby never sat there again.

"Good morning, Jean," Scott said before he took his seat.

Jean looked up at him and replied quietly, "Good morning, Scott." She felt much better now. Maybe it was that her nightmare was receding to the back of her mind and the once horrifying images were becoming fuzzy, maybe it was seeing all of her friends happy and healthy, and in no immediate danger, or maybe it was Scott, he did always seem to have a calming effect on her. Whatever had done it, she was glad that her bad feelings were gone and she could begin to worry about more important things, like the algebra test she had that day.

"Scott," she began and turned toward her long-time friend.

Scott turned as well, his eyebrows perked in an 'accepting-all-questions' expression and a piece of egg on the corner of his mouth.

Jean giggled at the egg and motioned on her own face for him to wipe it off. As we all do, forgetting the rules of a mirror, he wiped the wrong side at first, making Jean giggle more. By the time he had fully cleared his face it was a bright shade of pink. "Y… yes, Jean?" he tried to recover himself. "Can I help you?"

Jean left her mouth slightly agape as she tried to remember her question. It was about algebra… or, wait… Her mind struggled to think of something, at this point anything, of interest to say. She almost settled for "nice sweater" when an even better thought came to her. "Have you ever had a recurring dream?"

Scott seemed surprised by this. "Um… no, I don't think so. No."

Jean looked at him questioningly. She didn't have to be a telepath to know when he was lying. "Are you sure?"

Scott knew he had been found out, but managed to keep his façade. "Well, I don't know… Maybe… Wait, yes. One, but I haven't had it in a while."

"What was it about, if you don't mind me asking?" Jean leaned toward him a little. She had always been very curious of the inner workings of Scott's mind; he kept so much to himself. She was tempted many times to use her abilities on him, but never gave in. Her conscience was too strong for that.

"Um… I would, but…" He gazed around the table self-consciously.

Jean knew that no one was listening to them, the others were too absorbed in their own problems, as usual, but she decided not to press him. "All right, maybe another time?"

"Sure," Scott replied, excited at the prospect of an arranged meeting with Jean. He even went so far as to say, "It's a date."

Jean smiled and began eating. She found it amusing how Scott found so many ways to be around her without ever having to ask her out. Amusing, but quickly turning into annoying.

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Professor Xavier set his book down on his lap and shook his head lightly. He gazed about the room; his study was empty and motionless. He continued reading, only to be interrupted again by a pain in his head, as if a heavy object were pressing down on his brain. He called Ororo into the room and she arrived promptly. He told her about the pain and she chuckled lightly.

"Sometimes you forget that even the world's greatest telepaths get headaches. I'll bring you some aspirin and a glass of water," she said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"No, I don't think so," he replied seriously. "It feels like there's a… presence here. I can't quite describe it; it's cloaking itself, yet trying to make itself known at the same time." He sighed. "Maybe it is just a headache. I sometimes wonder if I overanalyze things like this."

"You just want to make sure we're all safe. It could be a foreign presence; in my years with you, Professor, I've seen stranger things, but just in case I'll go grab that aspirin."

"Thank you, Ororo," he said and listened as the door closed behind her, leaving him **alone?**


	2. Chapter 2

Control

By: XMENobsession

**AN:** YaY for Chapter 2! Hope you enjoy it! Please remember to **REVIEW!** I love feedback!

**DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing! Not the people, not the places, and definitely not the paper!

**Chapter 2**

"Jean, you have to stop this!"

"I can't!" an exasperated Jean Grey frantically yelled back, though she could barely hear herself over the noise of the battlefield. Fires blazed, buildings crumbled, and friends fell all around her.

"Jean…!" Scott cried. His voice seemed to be moving farther and farther away from her. She tried to use her telekinesis to pull him back, she tried to use her telepathy to find him, she tried to do anything she could, but she could do nothing. It was as if she had no power left. She fell to her knees and began to cry. The smoke around her grew denser until she could see nothing but its sickly off-white color.

Jean woke up in a cold sweat. She pulled the blankets up to her chin and stared out the window. The dark sky was beginning to lighten and once again she realized that she had risen before the sun.

It was Saturday and the students woke on their own time, so there was no prepared breakfast. In the dining room Jean found Ororo and Logan eating quietly. While Logan searched a newspaper for upcoming trouble, Ororo studied her latest issue of '_Gardening Weekly'._ The Professor had already eaten and was doing whatever it is intelligent men do in their spare time.

The kitchen smelled of coffee, but Jean remained impassive. As the dreams got worse it became more difficult for her to recover from the upsetting disquiet they left her with. She took a pop-tart from the cupboard and walked onto the back patio where she sat and watched the sky. By now the sun was halfway over the horizon. She munched on the unbaked toaster pastry, alone with the memory of her haunting dream.

They say dreams are how the subconscious works out problems, but Jean couldn't think of any pressing ones, other than the usual super villain trying to take over the world. Maybe her telepathy was causing her to see the dreams of someone else. This thought made her hopeful, but it was a false hope. She knew that it was her own dream she was seeing; it felt too personal to be anyone else's. The truth was she had no idea why she was having these dreams. She could only hope that it was not as some believed dreams were: a window into the future.

"Jean!" She turned around to find Scott smiling down at her with a protein drink in his hand. "What are you doing up this early?" he asked as he pulled a lawn chair up next to her and took a seat.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"On weekends I like to do a pre-breakfast training session."

Jean laughed. "You amaze me, Scott Summers," she said, smiling. Why was it that he always made her smile? And why was he, specifically, in trouble in her dream? She frowned slightly.

"So, you had the dream again?" he asked, noticing the minor change in expression.

Jean was shocked. "I'm sorry; I thought _I_ was the telepath."

"I'm not as stupid as I look," Scott replied. "You're up crazy early, you asked me about recurring dreams the other day… What am I supposed to think?" Jean didn't reply, and Scott began to feel uncomfortable. "Or maybe I am as stupid as I look."

Jean sighed. "No, it's just… Why don't you tell me about your dream first?" Scott hesitated and she added, "Please?"

He sat on the edge of the chair, his elbows resting on his knees, and stared at the floor. His eyes closed and he started. "It's a nice day. I'm about seven and in a plane with my brother, Alex, and… my parents."

Jean's mouth opened slightly and her eyebrows raised; she had never heard Scott talk about his parents.

"We're all happy until… something hits our plane; I don't know what, but we start falling out of the sky. There's only one parachute and my mother puts it on me, puts Alex in my arms, and tells me not to let go, no matter what. Then she pushes us out of the plane. I try to pull the cord, but it's confusing and, before I can figure it out, something hits me and there's a sharp pain in the back of my head. Everything turns black and… I wake up."

Jean put her hand on his strong arm. For a moment he was so absorbed in his own recollections that he didn't even blush, but only for a moment. He turned to her and said, "I haven't had it in a while, but every time I do… It's just not the most pleasant dream I've ever had. Actually, I don't think it's even a dream; more like a repressed memory."

Jean nodded and squeezed his arm. "I know it must be hard to talk about." She stared at him. He had opened up to her more than ever before and yet he recovered so quickly from bearing his soul. In an instant he returned to the stiff, quiet leader he always was. It was only a glimpse into his mind, but that was enough for Jean. She leaned in and rested her head on his bicep. She could feel his muscles tighten at her touch. Her happiness had returned and she wanted to avoid losing it at all costs. "I'm hungry,  
she said bluntly. "Let's go get some breakfast."

Scott thought for a moment and then nodded, and the two of them stood and walked toward the kitchen. As they went, Jean reached out and grabbed Scott's hand. He blushed, yet again, and decided not to ask about her dream. She hadn't pushed him, and he wouldn't push her.

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Like Jean's nightmares, The Professor's headaches continued to get worse. Sometimes the dull pain was too distracting for him to even concentrate on his own thoughts. He tried multiple times to find the phantom that was causing him such grief with Cerebro, but to no avail. It eluded him in the most aggravating way; allowing him to creep up close enough to almost touch, and then vanishing. Whatever this thing was it enjoyed playing with The Professor, but he worried what it was capable of when it was tired of playing.

A few days after Jean's conversation with Scott, The Professor attempted another search on Cerebro. It was early, and while most of the mansion slept he quietly leafed through their dreams as easily as you would a book, sensing the elusive being nearby. He found something disturbing.

"Jean, you have to stop this!"

He saw one of his most promising pupils on her knees, crying, helpless. He wanted to go to her, but something distracted him; a figure cloaked behind the ever-growing smoke. He wondered who, or what, it was, but before he could find out the creature was gone. He was, once again, alone in Cerebro. He tried to enter Jean's subconscious with and without Cerebro, but her mind was impenetrable, and he couldn't tell if it was the being's doing or Jean's.

He raced to Jean's room as fast as he could and found her awake, head in her hands.

"Professor!" she cried when he entered. "Please help me!"

He went to her side and she fell onto his lap and burst into tears. Her breathing was heavy and her body was clammy. Nonetheless, he rubbed her back soothingly and said softly, "It will be okay, child; everything will be okay. I promise you."


	3. Chapter 3

Control

By: XMENobsession

**AN: **All right, we're moving right along with this story. I think the chapters are on the short side, but my updates aren't too infrequent, so it's not so bad, right? Don't forget to REVIEW!

Oh! And I've been thinking about the ending… There are two possible ways I could do it, but I just can't decide. I'd love to ask your opinions, but then I might be giving the ending away and I don't want to do that soo… Just pick a number: 1 or 2. It's silly, I know, but I suck at decision making. Thanks! Now… ON TO THE STORY!

**DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing! Not the people, not the places, and definitely not the paper!

**Chapter 3**

"Jean, you have to stop this!"

The words echoed in her head as she sat in The Professor's study, her face covered in dried tears and snot. Though she and Xavier had been the only witnesses of the dream, Ororo, Logan, and, of course, Scott were also there that morning: only the older, mature X-Men. This was a sensitive and frightening issue; The Professor didn't feel that the younger students would be able to handle it just yet.

Xavier sat in the center of the room, one of the calmest of the group, second only to Logan who rested on a wall, watching from under his cowboy hat. Ororo was next to Jean, comforting her with a mug of her homemade coffee blend, and Scott sat on their opposite couch, staring intently at the girl he had watched from afar for so long as she fell apart.

"How long have you been having these dreams, Jean?" Ororo asked as she brushed the girl's fiery red hair out of her face.

"I don't know," Jean replied, her voice full of emotion. "I think the first one was a couple months ago. As time passed they seemed to get longer and more frequent."

"Jean," The Professor said coolly. "I'd like to attempt to take a look inside your mind again." Jean nodded, Ororo moved to the other couch with Scott, and The Professor placed his hands on the sides of the young telekinetic's head, not making any physical contact. "Try to concentrate on your dream."

The telepaths both closed their eyes and the room was completely silent. Scott tried not to think too much, so as not to distract them, but the more he watched the more worried he became. They both appeared to be in pain. He started to get frustrated that he was stuck in the physical world while The Professor risked so much to help Jean. He wanted desperately to be able to help as well and suddenly felt so useless.

Meanwhile, inside Jean Grey's turbulent mind, The Professor stood in front of a stone wall that reached upward to the endless sky. "Jean!" he yelled to the wall, but the girl did not answer, so he yelled again, "Jean, it's Charles Xavier! You need to let me through! I'm here to help!"

"I don't need your help." Xavier turned to find the troubled redhead standing next to him, but something was off.

"You need to let me in, Jean. Something is terribly wrong, but I can help you. It will all be okay if you just let me help you," he spoke slowly and calmly to not upset her, she seemed on the brink of some break down, but his composure proved to be of little use.

"I don't need your help!" she screamed and flung him against the theoretical wall. She pinned him there and, though he struggled profusely, she was too powerful for him.

The non-psychics watched the scene closely, not realizing the mental battle that was occurring between Jean and Xavier. A single bead of sweat slid down The Professor's head and the bystanders became concerned. Then, in one swift motion that shocked everyone in the room, Jean stood, an air of confidence and power surrounding her, and The Professor flew backwards out of his chair, hit the wall behind him, and fell to the floor with a thud.

As quickly as Jean's power appeared, it vanished. She fainted, landing safely on the couch, and in an instant Scott was by her side. Unconscious she seemed angelic. Whatever it was that they had just seen wasn't Jean.

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"He should be okay. He just needs some rest," Ororo commented to Logan as they stood over The Professor's body in the infirmary. "Of course, without Jean or another telepath there's no way for us to be sure that there's no mental damage." She bit her lip in concern. "But physically he's just fine." She closed her eyes and prayed that Jean had left his powerful mind intact. Though she didn't seem like the type to ruin someone so wholly, she also didn't seem like the type who would toss their mentor across a room.

Logan simply grunted in response, but his gaze never left Charles Xavier. Though he was not a religious man, he performed his own sort of prayer; he calmly placed his rough hand on Xavier's still arm and told him gruffly to "perk up."

Scott entered the infirmary and spoke very practically. "I told the others what happened. They were… shocked to say the least. They wanted to see The Professor, but I told them to wait for your okay."

"Thank you, Scott," Ororo said. "I know you didn't want to be the one to break the news, but it shows great leadership qualities that you did."

Scott thanked his teammate politely, but he was in no mood for compliments. He saw The Professor resting peacefully and worried about what damage lay on that brilliant psyche, as Ororo did, but he had more pressing thoughts on his mind. He excused himself from the dreary group and walked down the well-lit hallway to another infirmary, this one much smaller. Unlike the one Xavier slept in, this had at least ten beds lined in rows along the walls, and in one of those beds lay Jean Grey.

Scott sat in the uncomfortable metal chair next to her bed and stared. He thought about the first time he ever saw Jean; he thought he was dreaming. She was young and innocent and… absolutely perfect. He couldn't explain what had happened that morning, but he knew there was a reason for it. Jean was still that innocent perfect girl he met years ago. How could that have changed?

He didn't know how long he sat there and watched her, but after a while her eyes began to flutter open and rested on his thoughtful face.

"Scott…" she said as if she knew him, but couldn't remember how. Then her face lit in recognition. "Scott." She attempted to sit up, but quickly fell back onto her soft pillows. "My head…"

"You need to rest," he said, brushing her hair out of her beautiful face soothingly. "I'll get you a glass of water."

He stood to leave, but Jean quickly grabbed his hand to stop him. "Don't leave," she said, on the borderline of begging. "I'm fine, honestly."

Scott sat down, but neither released their grip on the other's hand. "Did you… Did you have the dream again?" he asked, hesitantly.

Jean turned her head toward the ceiling and answered quietly, "No, I don't think I did." She smiled at her friend.

At this Scott cheered up tremendously. "Maybe The Professor did the job, and whatever was in your head is gone now." He looked so hopeful and so happy that Jean just didn't have it in her to tell him the truth: that she could still feel it inside her head, pacing and waiting. Every day she fought to keep it out of her mind, but every night she had the dream she knew she had lost a little of her control over it, and that morning she had lost so much more. She looked at her hands and delicately felt her face; she was Jean, but earlier, while she coldly attacked The Professor, who was she then?


	4. Chapter 4

Control

By: XMENobsession

**AN: **Chapter 4! A little shorter than the others, I think. Sorry about that, but I liked where I stopped. Please don't forget to REVIEW! It makes me happy…

**DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing! Not the people, not the places, and definitely not the paper!

Chapter 4

The day after the "incident" was a school day, but Jean didn't mind. She didn't want to face her fellow X-Men and it was difficult to avoid them at the institute, despite its size. School was quiet, and she couldn't be expected to discuss her state of mind every five seconds.

She walked into Algebra with nothing more than a nod at Scott and sat down. Then she remembered the test they were taking that day and through all the confusion over the weekend she had completely forgot to study! The teacher turned to address the class and Jean compromised her own morals without even giving it a second thought.

"Today…" the teacher began, in her normal strict tone. Then she seemed to have a sudden change of heart. "Today will be a study day and your test will be tomorrow. So… form into your study groups and keep the noise level at a minimum." The class was shocked, but didn't question it; seats were immediately moved and groups formed as per their given instructions.

Scott sat in the seat behind Jean and commented, "That's unusual, huh? Barker's not the type to give extensions on tests." He studied Jean closely. "You didn't happen to…?"

Jean turned around sharply. "What are you implying, Scott? Do you honestly think I'd do that? Jeez, I thought we were friends!"

"I… I didn't mean to… I wasn't implying…" Scott stuttered. "Jean, I'm sorry, I just…"

"It's fine," she said, more relaxed. "Let's just study." She opened her book and began doing the first practice problem. She didn't know why she had made Mrs. Barker move the test back despite it going against everything she'd been taught at the institute and everything she believed in, and she didn't know why she lied to Scott about it and snapped at him for realizing the truth, but mostly she didn't know why she didn't feel guilty about any of it.

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During lunch she sat outside and continued to pour over her math book. She was having trouble concentrating on it and felt like nothing was sinking in. She crumpled the piece of paper she had been writing on and threw it as far as she could mumbling, "I'll never get this!"

"Of course you will," Scott said, surprising her by his sudden appearance. He apologized and sat down next to her. "But you will get this."

"I don't see how, and especially by tomorrow." She shut her book definitively and prepared to leave.

"Hey, don't give up. If you want, I can help tutor you after school today." He smiled at her charmingly.

"I know what you're doing, Scott," she replied angrily. "Stop it!"

"Stop what?" He was taken so far aback by this that he had to steady himself on his seat.

"Stop making plans for us to "talk" or "hang out" or "study," when all you're doing is trying to make a date without having to actually ask me out! I know you like me, Scott, I don't even have to read your mind to see that, so just man up and tell me already!"

Scott was stunned, and so was Jean. "Scott, I'm sorry," she tried to fix what she had done, but then changed her mind. "Wait, I'm not sorry!"

She got up and left in a huff, leaving Scott alone and dazed. She had forgotten her text book, but he decided not to follow her with it. She needed time, that's all… He hoped.

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Jean knew she had forgotten her book and didn't care. She never wanted to see that book again. She normally had no trouble with Algebra, and when she did she'd just ask Scott for help and suddenly everything would be much clearer, but lately… Something was different. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she felt odd. She was angry at Algebra. She was angry at Scott. She was angry at the world and she didn't know why.

Because it was still class hours the hallways of Bayville High were deserted. Jean walked to her locker, not knowing where else to go, and tried to open it, but the door was stuck. She banged on it with a surprising amount of strength, then turned around and leaned against the dented locker to steady herself; she suddenly felt lightheaded and a little queasy. She held her head and slowly slid down to the floor.

"What is wrong with me?" she asked herself. An unknown yet familiar voice answered Jean, "Nothing!"

Jean's head shot up and suddenly she was surrounded by smoke. It choked her and she laid on the floor, remembering what she had learned about fire safety. She heard maniacal laughter and looked up. Two fiery eyes stared at her and the smoke began to turn to flames.

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"She's acting really strange. She seems stressed and very irritable."

Ororo sighed on the other end of the phone. "I'm afraid I don't know what to do, Scott. I agree that she doesn't seem to be herself, but if she won't listen to anyone there's nothing we can do for her."

"I hate hearing that," Scott replied, still sitting on the bench outside the school.

"I know you do, but it's the truth. Unless you think she's a danger to herself or anyone else?"

"No. I mean, she did throw The Professor across the room, but she felt bad about it when she woke up. I just can't see her…" A loud ringing cut his sentence short and he watched as hundreds of students ran out of the smoking building.

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A few hours later the students had calmed down, though the majority of their parents still hadn't, and the fire department had managed to save most of the school.

"Principal Kelly," the Police Chief said as he approached the overly strained administrator. "Do you have a head count yet?"

"Yes," Kelly answered. "Everyone present today is accounted for except for one Jean Grey."


	5. Chapter 5

Control

By: XMENobsession

AN: The next chapter is already done (I was kind of on a roll) but I'm wondering if I should wait to upload it. Leave you wondering for a while? I don't know… Anyways, enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing! Not the people, not the places, and definitely not the paper!

"Wait!" Kitty proclaimed as the X-Men sat together in their living room, "You think Jean was responsible for the fire today? How? Why?"

"We're not sure," Ororo replied. "And we don't mean to point the finger at anyone when we really have no proof, but she had been acting strangely and now she's suddenly gone missing."

"It seems to me, ve don't need to point to her, everything else is," Kurt said, accepting the truth about his teammate.

Kitty wouldn't give up as easily. "But Jean's no pyro! How do we know she wasn't framed or kidnapped or something!"

"Logan is searching for her now. He should be able to pick up her scent."

"And if he doesn't?" the valley girl pleaded. "What about The Professor? Did he wake up yet? Can he help Jean?"

Ororo sighed. "Professor Xavier is still in the infirmary."

"Vhy?" Kurt asked. "You said zhere vas no damage, he just needed rest. How long must he rest?"

"I don't know," Ororo replied, struggling to keep her composure.

Scott could tell she was having difficulty. She didn't know what Jean had done to The Professor's mind; she didn't know when he'd wake up, or how they'd find Jean, or what they'd do if they did! Without Xavier the X-Men were lost. After Jean attacked him, they hadn't known how to react to her and, mistakenly, let her out into society where she wreaked havoc and disappeared. The Professor would have known better; they wouldn't be in this mess had Jean not screwed with his mind. The more Scott thought about this, the less the confrontation seemed like an accident.

Logan walked in and silently took off his motorcycle helmet. His face was stolid as he slowly shook his head to convey the outcome of his search. "The high school was too smoky. I had her for a minute, but then the scent trailed off. She could be anywhere."

"Thank you, Logan," Ororo said quietly as she sat down and rested her head in her hand. "I'm afraid that's all we can do tonight, X-Men."

The team slowly dispersed with a unified feeling of incompletion. Some decided to stay in the living room and Scott turned on the TV.

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_Breaking News:_

_There have been reports of rogue fires throughout the city, believing to have begun with the recent fire at Bayville High School, on the city's outskirts. Fire officials say that all the reports have been of varying sizes and in different locations, but one thing they have in common is an unknown source. As of now we have no leads as to who could be starting these fires or what._

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Jean didn't remember entering the city or actually starting any of the fires. The entire day had been a blur of flame and smoke. Her head ached and her heart burned. Part of her wanted to break down and cry, but the other part wanted to jump headfirst into the flames and revel in their raw power. It was a strange feeling.

She sat on top of a building, not sure how she got there, and watched as the brave men and women of the New York City Fire Department fought the beast she had created; how or why, she did not know. The fire fought back relentlessly, and Jean had the urge to laugh at the powerless humans, struggling to control that which was uncontrollable. The wind blew through her hair and she felt suddenly rejuvenated. The urge to cry was buried beneath another urge: the urge to consume, everything and anything.

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"The city?" Scott immediately stood when he saw the news report. "Why would she go there?"

"I don't think she knows where she's going. Her mind isn't stable enough for plans," Logan said gruffly as he put his leather jacket back on. "We'd better act fast, though, before she decides to move on."

The call was put out through the mansion. All X-Men were to meet, dressed and ready, at the X-Jet ASAP. They'd found Jean.

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The fires were becoming too much to handle. As the men and women grew tired, the flames grew stronger, tormenting them, feigning submission only to leap forth and spread in the next instant. The cause looked hopeless.

A fireman wiped the sweat from his brow and looked upward at the burning building, preparing himself for another attempt at quenching the torturous beast. He thanked God when he saw the sky, once a bright shining blue, now rapidly turning dark. Clouds formed over the entire city and the rain began to fall, first lightly, then harder as if to pummel the flames back into hell.

Though the rain was a welcome miracle, it somehow only worsened the sight of the homeless, standing on the sidewalk, watching their black, charred houses slowly appearing from behind the wicked flames. The smell of smoke filled the streets still with an underlying stench of death; instant cremation. After the rain came, the fires were put out quite easily, but they would not be so easily forgotten.

Jean watched the scene from her lofty pedestal and grinned maliciously. "They've come for me."

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"Good job with the rain, Storm," Scott complimented. The Weather Witch could only nod in reply; it took a lot out of her to drench an entire city.

"Can you smell her, Wolverine?" Kitty asked in her high, pleading voice.

He sniffed. "Almost… No. It's still to smoky… and deathly."

Kitty cringed at the thought of smelling death so easily. Though she knew her senses were nowhere near the strength of Wolverine's, she covered her nose in protection.

"Something tells me she'll find us," Kurt said.

"Still, we should…" Scott began, but quickly fell silent. "Jean?"


	6. Chapter 6

Control

By: XMENobsession

**AN:** This chapter is both my favorite and least favorite of the story. I wrote it when I wrote Chapter 5, but didn't want to publish them together because I like my chappies to be about the same length. The next chapter is already in the works, so keep your eye out and don't forget to review!

**DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing! Not the people, not the places, and definitely not the paper!

**Chapter 6**

The redhead walked toward them with a confidence and determination none of them had ever witnessed before. Her hair tossed in the stormy wind wildly and her eyes almost glowed with rage. She was beautiful and terrible, a goddess and a demon all at the same time. The world around her seemed to waver, like when you look right above a fire. Scott couldn't speak, he couldn't move. He wondered if it were her doing or his own.

"Jean!" Ororo yelled through the increasing winds; the sight had clearly startled her as well. "We're so glad to have found you! Please, come with us. Come home."

Jean's head shot toward the older woman. "Home?" she asked in a voice unexplainably different from her own. "I have no home!"

"Yes, you do," Ororo argued. "The mansion is your home, and we are your…"

"Silence!" Jean yelled and with a slight flick of her wrist Ororo was flung down the street and into the windshield of a parked car. She attempted to raise her head, but blood dripped down her face and she was forced to fall backward, into unconsciousness.

"That's it," Logan growled as his claws shot out with their trademarked "Snikt!"

"No!" Scott shouted. "We don't want to hurt her!"

"If we don't hurt her, she'll hurt us, bub!"

"Yes, Scott," Jean said, almost playfully. "Let the old man try."

Wolverine lunged at her with all the force of his stout but sturdy body. His mouth was open, growling, and he looked like an animal attacking, but before he got within three feet of her be bounced off of something and landed on his back; a force field even adamantium couldn't break.

Jean laughed and began to float upward toward the dark sky. "You fools think you can defeat me? I am power incarnate! I am _**The Phoenix!" **_Her laughter grew worse, more maniacal.

"Still don't want to hurt her?" Logan asked as he stood.

"Of course I don't! But if we have to… Team!" he yelled to the others who were simply staring in awe at their insane friend. "Yes, she can beat one of us, or two, maybe even three, but if we all form up on her we should wear her down. But remember: that's still Jean up there." The others nodded in agreement. "Kurt, think you can teleport inside a telekinetic force field?"

"I don't see vhy not," the German replied honestly.

"Then take Rogue up there and she can siphon some of Jean's power… but not too long!"

"Ah know, ah know," Rogue answered as she held onto Kurt. "Don't worry, ah won't hurt yer precious Jean."

The two were gone in an instant. The task was difficult, it was a tight squeeze inside the force field and Kurt was very cautious about not teleporting half in and half out, terrified of the mysterious consequences. Jean was startled by their presence and even more startled by Rogue's leeching touch. "Ah!" she yelled. The three of them fell out of the sky and landed painfully on the asphalt.

For a moment, all was silent as they wondered if it could really be that easy.

Jean's head shot up, her lips pursed defiantly and her eyes glowing even brighter. Logan tried to leap at her once more, before she could fully regain her composure, but he was too late. She stopped him mid-air, choked him, and bashed him against a nearby wall several times as the bricks cracked and crumbled. Still, though he would not give up. Eventually she grew tired of playing his game and flung him with such force that he flew over a few buildings and landed a couple of blocks away, much to the surprise of the people on that street.

The others attempted to fight her as well, but she tossed them aside with ease and laughed as they landed with a harsh thud onto a multitude of surfaces, until only one remained.

Scott was terrified, though he faced her bravely. The two were silent. Scott tried to think of something clever or heroic to say, like they did in the movies, but nothing came to mind. There were no proper words to say to the girl you love when she's gone power-crazy and almost burned down the whole city. Except… Well, it did seem somewhat appropriate, and it hadn't been said before, at least not by him...

He swallowed hard and looked into her eyes, cold eyes that seemed to look right through him. The sheer lack of emotion in them almost made him falter, almost. "Jean," he spoke, trying to conceal the terror in his voice. "I love you!"

For an instant her eyes filled with shock. They seemed green again, natural, almost returning his sentiments, almost. They quickly receded back into the dark abyss that was what the sweet and caring Jean Grey had become, The Phoenix, apparently. They grew angry, disdainful, enraged. "How dare you try to trick me?"

"What? Jean, I love you! Why would I try to trick you? I LOVE YOU!"

"No…" Jean yelled, her old voice crawling out from beneath the new, but quickly squelched. "No!"

Scott braced himself for the flight he was sure he would take all the way down the street, but instead he was pulled toward Jean. She held him up, close to her and examined him with those loveless eyes. She seemed to decide that he was not what she had hoped for and began to telekinetically squeeze him tighter and tighter. He could feel the air being pushed out of him as if a rolling pin were being used.

"Jean!" he yelled with the last breathe he could muster. "Jean, you have to stop this!"


	7. Chapter 7

Control

By: XMENobsession

**AN:** And suddenly we are at the end. Though it took forever, it feels sudden to me. A good suddenness, I suppose. Difficult to explain. I hope you have enjoyed this story, I feel it's different from my others, but one of my favorites. Please review if you feel so inclined!

**DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing! Not the people, not the places, and definitely not the paper!

**Chapter 7**

"Jean, you have to stop this!"

The words were strained out of a helpless mouth, but rang clear in Jean's mind. The sentence was repeated again and again and again, like the dim of a bell. It shook her, startled her, sent her further into insanity, but there, in the recesses of her mind, she found it at last. Jean Grey was still alive.

The dream was more real than ever with Scott's cries for help echoing in the background. Jean was on her knees, tears streaming down her face. She felt vulnerable and powerless. She looked up and a figure stood before her in the smoke. It came forward and Jean found she was staring at herself… in a sense.

Before Jean could ask the second Jean replied, "I am the Phoenix, power incarnate!" At such words the being seemed to grow in size. She shrank a bit, though, as she added almost soothingly, "Do not be afraid."

"Why?" Jean could feel herself trembling and hear it clearly in her voice. The longer she stared at this… Phoenix the more everything around them seemed to disappear.

"I have come to help you."

"I don't need any help. What I need is for you to leave me alone! Stop giving me nightmares and making me lie and lash out at my friends and… hurt them." Her eyes lit as she remembered flinging them all aside. She witnessed it but could not stop it. It was as if Phoenix had completely taken over her body and locked her out of her own mind. Had she not been a telepath she probably wouldn't even be able to have this conversation as almost a mind within a mind. She could almost grasp the total concept, but it slipped away. She decided it was better not to think so hard about it all. First, she needed to regain control. "Why are you here?"

The Phoenix, in Jean's form, looked thoughtful. "It was as if you called out to me. I did not know where I was going but once I found you it all seemed so clear. You are what I have been searching for all along; a rarity indeed. The only being I have ever come across that could contain my infinite power. I feel… at home here, like I belong; like we belong together."

Once again, Jean almost understood, but lost it at the last second. She began to grow frustrated. "I didn't call you! I don't want you here! I don't care that I'm a 'rarity' or that we 'belong together!' Just go!" She screamed and flames flew from her hands and lit up the dreamscape. Though they were still inside Jean's mind, it felt too real and Jean began to worry.

"Don't," Phoenix said, once again reading her mind within a mind. "Don't fear your power, embrace it! Live and breathe the chaos that surrounds you!"

Jean was tempted, more tempted than she ever had been to move back a test or read those mysterious thoughts in Scott's pretty head. Power… she liked it. Chaos… she reveled in it. Why? When all her life she lived by the contrary belief? She didn't care anymore. She didn't want to care. Yet… part of her still clung to sense as the rest of her slowly slipped into insanity, much to the delight of the Phoenix.

The mansion was silent. It felt unnatural. The wide halls seemed to cry for the stamping of feet or the mindless chatter of teenagers, but the cry was left unanswered. The mansion did not know that its beloved inhabitants had gone to save the world, and it did not care. All that the personified building knew was that it was alone. But then… something stirred deep within it. As swiftly as they had closed, Xavier's eyes opened.

His chair stood on the other end of the room and it was a great struggle for him to pull himself there, an even greater one to pull himself up onto it. He had no time to adjust himself more comfortably in his seat and raced to Cerebro.

Scott could barely breathe, but Jean seemed not to notice. She stared through him and remained motionless for some time. Scott struggled to free himself but telekinetic grips are hard to break loose of. Every so often, if he could muster the strength, he would call out to her, but every time she didn't move an inch.

"Jean…" he pleaded, sucking in as much air as he could. "Please…"

"You were powerful without me, that cannot be doubted," Phoenix spoke serenely, as if nothing rode on this conversation. "But you were restrained and limited. I, however, have no limitations. My power is infinite."

"What good is infinite power?" Jean asked; part of her excited at the prospect but the other part disgusted at such useless excess.

"That is why I'm here." The Phoenix leaned in closer to Jean, grinning maddeningly. "Imagine the things I could help you do, the destruction! Without me you're a righteous earthling, struggling to lift a car, but with me you are a goddess." Jean unwillingly smiled. "Without you I am simply power floating about the universe, searching for purpose. I can give you a life force greater than you could ever conceive, but you will provide a focus for my infinite power. So you see? We belong together!"

Jean suddenly felt akin to this otherworldly being. Maybe they did belong together. Power and purpose… The Phoenix held out her hand to help the young mutant up. Jean reached for it but stopped.

Charles Xavier's voice rang through the dream loud and clear. "Jean! You have to…"

The Phoenix silenced him. Not even the most powerful telepath on Earth could penetrate where The Phoenix did not allow. He had been lucky, though, to have caught it off guard, to have woken up from a deep coma, and to have been able to speak to Jean at such a critical point.

She knew what he was going to say all too well, and she finally decided not to let him down. Squashing the last bit of insanity that still coerced her she was able to rise without Phoenix's aid. She closed her eyes tightly, and when they were opened they were soft and tired. "All right, then," she spoke coolly. "I will use your power and cause devastation and mayhem in my wake, but first you must give me back my body."

"I sense truth in your words," the Phoenix mused. "but there are concerns. Something hidden…"

"Fine then!" Jean yelled defiantly, her eyes gaining luster and her form becoming tense. "Leave me here to rot in my own psyche! Use my body for your own wills, but where is your purpose in that? You said it yourself, you need me."

The Phoenix quickly masked her startledness and smiled at the young red head. "We need each other."

In a flash of light the dream and the Phoenix vanished and Jean was seeing through her own eyes once more. She clenched her hands and wriggled her toes and almost laughed at the absolute joy she got from her own limbs heeding her commands.

Then she saw the wreckage surrounding her and gaze quickly landed on Scott Summers' limp body seemingly floating in mid-air. She gasped and let go of her telekinetic hold. He fell to the street with a loud thud and lay there, motionless. Jean was now even more deeply rooted in her decision.

She looked at her hands, soft and pink, and tears began to well in her eyes as they began to dissipate. Pieces them were scattered into the air as if a light wind had simply blown them from the rest of her body. After her hands were cast into nothingness the invisible creature eating away at her moved up her arms. She stopped resisting her own tears. If there was ever a time to cry, it was now.

Scott awoke and quickly took in the situation, though he was still groggy and his head felt as heavy as lead. He saw Jean, her body drifting apart, and screamed for her. "Jean!"

Jean smiled through her tears to try and comfort him, but she knew there would be no comfort, not for many years. She attempted to explain to him telepathically what she must do. The Phoenix would never leave her and she would be used as a weapon to destroy planets, suns, and galaxies. To stop this, she used the Phoenix's power to tear apart her own body, cell by cell, and scatter it across the universe. Scott stopped screaming as he telepathically felt Jean's acceptance of her own death, though he knew he could never do the same.

Jean could feel the professor still attempting to penetrate her mind. She could almost hear him yelling that there was another way and he could help her, but she knew better than that, and left him sitting in his chair, alone in the mansion, helpless as she died.

But the Phoenix would not give up so easily. She forced her way into Jean's mind, took control over her body once more and attempted to undo this travesty. But it was too late. There was not enough of Jean left to salvage and as the last bit of Jean's body floated away a piercing cry could be heard, though no one could be certain if it was The Phoenix's or Jean's.

There is a tombstone sitting outside the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters that reads Jean Grey's name, though no body lies beneath. Scott still visits it every day, fearing that if he ever missed one he would not be able to find the strength to ever return. When the wind blows through the trees he can almost hear her voice.

"Scott…"

He stops, gazing around the carved stone curiously. The wind has died.

"Scott."


End file.
